Human
by notmarge
Summary: Movieverse. Mostly sweet fluff. R experiences the joys of being human.
1. Chapter 1: This is Even Better

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

Takes place after R is shot and they have ridden away in the Hummer, presumably to get medical attention for being shot.

* * *

Chapter 1: This is Even Better

"Well, um, it would appear you are, um just fine. Aside from the gunshot wound, that is. Heartbeat, blood, pressure, pupil dilation, respiration, reflexes. All normal. How do you feel?" the attendant in the emergency medical tent inquired, somewhat shyly.

R smiled. "Human." He grimaced a little as he instinctively shrugged his shoulders. "Shot."

The attendant nodded. "We've removed the bullet and, uh, cleaned the wound. It should heal easily without incident. A light painkiller, which I've already administered, is all I can give you for right now given your low body weight and, uh, previous condition."

Behind R, Julie giggled. She seemed to keep shifting back and forth between stunned silence and delirious giddiness. R was alive! She was both shocked that he was and dumbfounded at the notion that he hadn't always been. Had it only been a few hours since he kissed her and her dad shot him? The sun had been coming up when they splashed into the reflecting pool and it wasn't yet noon. _Whoa._

The attendant kept peering at R inconspicuously over the top of her glasses as if she couldn't quite seem to grasp the situation either. Finally, she sighed.

"Look, there's absolutely no protocol for this. All your vitals seem strong and stable. We have a lot of wounded coming in soon. Do you feel safe, er, comfortable, leaving for today to sleep and coming back tomorrow for a follow-up exam? I know you're not a guinea pig, but you're the first and if there are going to be more like you, we'd like to understand you better to help them, um . . ." Realizing she was rambling, the attendant stopped talking and took a deep breath.

"I won't force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. You're just, um, amazing!" The attendant stopped again and anxiously shifted from foot to foot. Behind him, Julie suppressed another giggle at the gawking attendant.

R felt his energy draining by the minute. "I'd like to help. I'll come back tomorrow." R smiled kindly, if a little tiredly.

"Afternoon. Late." Julie rested her small hand protectively on his broad back. _He's no lab rat._ "He needs to rest."

The attendant nodded gratefully. "Thank you. Please eat and drink in small amounts because your stomach is probably empty. I think. Kind of like Holocaust victims. When they ate too much too quickly, their bodies experienced severe reactions. Take it slow."

R nodded again and flustered attendant let them leave, still astounded at the dramatic turn of events. Someone yelled for her and she shook her head, bewildered, and hurried away.

As Julie and R left the shady tent, Julie noticed Kevin with a couple of other guards. She walked over with R and said, "Hey, Kevin."

"Julie. R." Julie smiled distractedly and R nodded, suddenly feeling too weary to socially interact with any more gawkers. He simply stood there, trying not to sleep standing up. _Mmmm, sleep. Wait, where am I going to sleep?_

"Kevin, they've checked him out and he's fine. I'm taking him home with me to rest. We'll come back tomorrow and follow up with the medical staff again. Tell my dad, okay?" Julie tugged on R's arm and started away.

"Wait, um, Julie, shouldn't we clear this with your dad first?" Kevin inquired.

"Nope. We're tired. Bye." And off they went.

* * *

"Ok, in the shower with you." Julie pushed him gently toward her bathroom for the second time in twelve hours. "I'll get you some clean clothes to sleep in."

R staggered into the bathroom. Another shower. _Warm, soothing shower. I will not fall asleep. I will not fall asleep. I will not fall, yawn, asleep._ And he didn't. Mostly. He jerked out of an oncoming shower stupor when Julie knocked on the door after ten minutes.

"R? I've got some of my dad's clothes. They're a little loose for you but they're warm and comfortable."

She dropped them quickly on a chair just inside the bathroom door then closed the door for his privacy. R brushed his teeth _(ooh, so clean)_, hung up the towel_ (didn't even drop it once thank you),_ and slipped on the clothes _(ooh, warm and comfy indeed, I love you Julie)._ He staggered out the door and right into Julie's arms. She grabbed him by the shirt, giggled, and gave him a quick kiss before letting go.

"My turn. I'm so icky. Be right back." She smiled and stroked his face gently.

Julie closed the door and R dropped onto the couch. _Mmm, soft. Being human is great. So much to, yawn, feel._ He laid his damp head back and closed his eyes. _Closing the eyes, still new. Cool_. He drifted away into the peaceful ether.

"R? R?"

"Mmm . . .?" _Oops, maybe a little Corpse inflection there._

"R, I want you to sleep with me."

_Sleep with me, sleep with me. Wait a minute. What?_

Drowsily, R lifted his head and pulled his eyelids open, revealing bright blues and gazing into bright blues. Julie was kneeling in front of him with her hands on his knees, her lovely damp blond head tilted to one side. He stared at her, much the same way he did when she informed him she was laying her clothes out to dry.

"Huh?" _Confused. Sleepy._ "What?"

Julie giggled and shook her head a little. Then, kindly and without any pretense at all, said, "You've been shot. You've just turned human. You're exhausted. I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed and I want you to come with me. I want you to lay down in the soft bed with a soft pillow under a warm blanket and sleep. I want to snuggle up next to you if it doesn't hurt your shoulder. I want to sleep with you next to me."

R processed this for a second and pushed himself, somewhat regretfully, off the couch. "I don't know. Nothing could be better than that couch," he sleepily mumbled at her and sort of grinned. She giggled again. _Ahhh, what a sound._ It made his healthy human heart expand almost painfully in his chest. _Mmm, that's new too. Extraordinary._

Julie sat on the left side of the bed and patted the right. Gingerly, R lowered himself carefully onto the bed on his back. His head found the pillow. Julie carefully snuggled up next to him with his right arm cradling her. She pulled the blanket up over them both and lovingly stroked his face. He sighed deeply.

"No, you were right. This is even better," he whispered as he drifted off into deep sleep.

* * *

**This is my first fanfic. More to come if you're interested. R still has lots more human stuff to discover and enjoy. Leave a review if you like.**


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected Explosion

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 2: Unexpected Explosion

Soft, rosy light. Everywhere. Enveloping him. Holding him. Wrapping him up in loveliness. Like a cloud embracing him. All was warmth and comfort. Absolute bliss.

R slowly opened his eyes. Julie's room. Julie's bed. Julie beside him. Julie. Curled on his arm. Fingers lightly twitching on his chest. Sleeping soundly. Eyelids fluttering. Julie.

Pain. Rising slowly from his lower stomach. Now spiking pressure. _Ow, ow, ow!_ R groaned and pressed his hand to his lower stomach. _This isn't right._ If this was the way humans woke up, they never would. _Ow!_ He groaned again, louder. Sat up and leaned forward. _Ow!_

Julie stirred and opened her eyes. "R?"

He gritted his teeth. "Something's wrong. It hurts." His hand shifted lower and he groaned again. _What is going on?_ The answer nagged at the back of his brain, absolutely sensible, annoyingly close, and completely unattainable.

Julie stared at him, brow furrowed with concern and confusion. Suddenly, her face cleared and she smiled in relief. R groaned again and looked at her beseechingly. _Please help, Julie. You know everything._

"R, you need to pee."

"Huh?"

She got up, took him by the hand, and led him into the bathroom. She pointed into the toilet.

"Go pee. Flush. Then wash your hands and come back to me."

She turned and left the room. R did as requested. _Ahh, that's better._ The pain was gone, replaced by an odd emptiness that then started fade. As he was washing his hands, his foolishness overwhelmed him. It was all so natural and completely human. Going to the bathroom. _Duh._

An idiot woke up in his head and started talking. _You know she's not going to want to be with you if you can't even take yourself to the bathroom. _

Intelligence talked back. _Sure she will. I ate her boyfriend's brains and she forgave me for that. This is nothing. I just won't pull this one again. It might get old._

The idiot continued to argue. _No way, buddy. May as well head back to the plane and die all over again. You're hopeless._

Intelligence knocked the idiot back down. _Nope. She kissed me human and I'm going to stay that way. Now shut up. I'm going back to bed._

And the idiot shut up. R left the bathroom, proud he had peed and won the argument. The idiot, however, stood in a corner, watching closely. He was waiting for a gleefully humiliating moment to come when he could be right.

Julie was sitting on the bed. She patted a spot next to her. R couldn't completely eradicate his embarrassment even after Julie smiled. He smiled back gratefully, if a little sheepishly back at her. She wasn't even laughing at him or anything. He felt hopeful. As he sat on the bed, she handed him a glass of water.

"I'm sorry," he said, taking the water and glancing at her. "I won't always be this way. I promise I'll get better."

Julie tossed the thought away with a vague wave of her hand. "Of course you will. It's like having amnesia or something. Once you get some rest and a clear head, human things will come easier and clearer. You're not a Corpse anymore and even when you were, you didn't always think like one. It'll get better."

She paused, waited for him to drink some water, and then took the glass. She handed him an unwrapped nutrition bar and waited for him to take a bite. When he did, she nodded and continued.

"Besides, you probably have an idiot in your head that talks you down from being human. Wants to make fun of you for mistakes and make sure you're undone enough to keep making them."

R almost dropped the so-called food. _She knows about the idiot? How could she know about the idiot? A person as beautiful inwardly and outwardly as Julie could never have an inner idiot._

"My inner idiot drives me crazy sometimes. It's like she never shuts up. Like I'm arguing with myself. If you have an inner idiot, you just have to learn to kick 'em in the balls every once in a while."

The sensation started somewhere deep inside him. It came rolling up slowly, then gained momentum and strength until it eventually burst forth like an explosion. R doubled over with force of it and then threw his head back to let it all out. He was laughing! Long and loud and full of surprised happiness and life. He enjoyed it so much and embraced it completely.

_She knows and she understands and it's okay and I'm going to be alright and I'm not alone and I'm human and this so great! You hear that, idiot? Julie said to kick you in the balls! This is so awesome! And this nutrition bar is flavorless but it's human food and I'm eating it and I even went to go pee!_

The idiot whimpered and curled up in pain from the powerful laughter kick. As R continued his belly laugh, the idiot passed out from pain and passed out of R's laughter filled mind. In his glee, R barely felt him go because the idiot was of too little importance to warrant recognition from him.

Julie stared at R in stunned silence. This was his first laugh! To say she felt like a proud mother would be improper considering her other feelings for him, but she was proud and happy nevertheless to be experiencing this. Even if she didn't quite understand what was _so_ funny. She laughed with him. His laughter made her laugh harder until they were both holding onto each other for support.

Eventually, the laughter wound itself down into chuckles and snorts. With her face flushed and breathlessness from sustained laughter, Julie was more beautiful than ever. On impulse, R kissed her. She kissed him back, then gasped for breath again. After a few breathy exchanges, R looked around.

"The light's gone."

This time it was Julie who looked disoriented. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It was sunset when we woke up."

_Aww. She didn't even mention it was because you were too dumb to go pee by yourself. She is SUCH a sweet girl. You better hold on tight to her with your zombie fingers, man,_ the idiot intoned.

R shot back silently. _I don't have zombie fingers. I'm a completely human amnestic now. Don't make me kick you again. _The idiot shuffled away and disappeared.

Julie was still talking, unaware of the silent exchange. ". . . been up about an hour. I'm still kinda wiped from everything. Do you want to stay up or rest some more?"

R reclined back into his orginal sleeping position. "If you'll stay with me, I'd like to sleep some more," he softly requested.

Julie smiled gently. "I'd enjoy that. You're very snuggly."

They snuggled up together, blankets, pillows, warm bodies, and acceptance. As R drifted off again, he heard Julie speak one last time. It was barely more than a whisper, but it was there. Full of quiet confidence and absolute certainty.

"Good night, R. I love you."

He smiled as sleep pulled him down.

_See that, idiot? She loves me. And together, we're going to kick you to death. Get ready._

The idiot did not dare respond. He was too terrified.

"Good night, Julie. I love you, too."

* * *

**Yeah, I'm pretty much going with the whole amnesia thing. Like he'll never remember anything about himself, but he can still function in society. With some support and practice.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Private Conversation

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 3: A Private Conversation

The next afternoon, while R conferred with the medical attendants as promised, Julie conferred with her father. Well, actually, he kind of hijacked her for an interrogation. Standing some distance away from the medical tent, they spoke in hushed, tense tones.

"Julie, why did you take the boy to my house without my permission?" Colonel Grigio furrowed his brow at his daughter.

Julie stared at him incredulously. "Dad, he'd just turned human! You shot him! He needed medical attention and rest! What did you expect me to do? Don't you even care how he's doing? I mean, you shot him!"

Grigio huffed and looked at away, shaking his head. "Okay. I doubt anyone would have taken him on such short notice and given his previous, uh, state. And of course I care about his condition. I had Kevin update me on his initial exam and follow up orders. When he contacted me in the field about your plans, I let you go because I knew you both needed rest."

Julie relaxed a little. "Thank you, Dad." _At least he's being a little sensible._

"Now where is he going to sleep tonight? Or have you thought about that yet?"

_Maybe not so sensible. Okay, this can blow up real quickly. Don't start a fight. Stay calm. He's your dad. He loves you. You're not going to flip out and yell. R was trying hard to be a good person when he was a Corpse. You can be a good person now. Just talk and stay calm and make him see your side. Okay. Go._

Julie took a deep breath and looked her father square in the steely eyes. She spoke calmly, carefully, and clearly. "Dad, I think he should stay at _our_ house. He's not Corpse-y anymore and he's trying really hard to be human. Kind of like a person with amnesia. His body is human too, but still really weak. His brain was always mostly human anyway if he could just get it out. He needs all the support we can give him right now. I'm the person he knows best. He trusts me and I trust him. Plus, it will show confidence to the people in this city that you trust a "new human" enough to give him a place to stay. That will build their confidence and they might start reaching out to the others that are already changing. Ease the whole they're-not-here-to-eat-our-brains-anymore transition. He protected me with his life when he was a Corpse who ate people's brains. You saw that. Now that he's human, he can't really get any more trustworthy than that anyway."

She stopped and looked at her father, trying to think of his next and her next words. The Colonel looked at her thoughtfully, frowning. He didn't speak for a minute. _Come on, Dad. Come on._

"Well, that does sound logical. " Grigio coughed and cleared his throat. "Okay. I want you to give him his own room. Nora has one. So should he."

"I will, but I can't guarantee he'll stay in it. I mean, we've got used to each other's company and I think it's helping him. Like, comforting, or something. Human contact." _Well, she wasn't going to start lying now, was she? That wouldn't help R's trustworthiness when the Colonel eventually found out._ _And he would. He always did._

Grigio glared at her, frustrated. "Julie, you can't expect me accept a boy in your bed! For goodness' sake, I'm your father!"

Julie stared at him, confused, then burst out laughing. She squelched it quickly when his face darkened further. _Okay, be sincere. Be sincere._ "Dad, he just turned human. He's still trying to figure it out. He's wounded. He's weak. It's not time for that now."

"So you're saying when it _is_ time . . ." Grigio started angrily and Julie stopped him. She reached up a put a hand on his broad, uniform covered shoulder. "Dad, remember the story you told me about you and Mom? You loved each other so much. But you waited until you got married because you felt it was right. Was that story true?"

Grigio's stern face softened slightly and a faint mist glimmered in his dark eyes. "Julie, I could never lie to you about your mother. Yes, it's true."

Julie smiled. "That's what I'm choosing too," she reassured.

He gave her a skeptical look. "Julie, what about Perry? I liked him and all, but I could tell . . ."

_Perry_. Her insides ached sadly for a second, then faded. "Yeah, Dad, that's true, but it was different. It felt like the whole world was dying and any second could be our last. We might die or become Corpses at any time. This is different, Dad. The world's being exhumed now. I mean, Corpses are coming back to life, the Boneys have met their match in, well, everybody. It's different. If things go right, eventually, you could tear down the wall and people could go out into the world, again. Dad, there are fields where we could plant crops of real food and people could raise livestock out in the fresh air and clean grass and sunlight! We could be alive, not just survive and wait around to not die, but live! I mean, I don't know how to do any of those things, but someone must or there are books on it. I mean, we could learn again."

She stopped, struck by the implications of it all. She impulsively took her dad's face in both of her hands. "Dad, just think of the _possibility_ of it all. Can you imagine? The world doesn't have to be on its way out. It can be a new beginning." _Wait, what was my point? Oh, yeah. Right._ "Dad, there's time now. Give me a chance to be exhumed, too. Reborn, okay? There's time now."

The Colonel gently reached up and took her hands in his and brought them down to his chest. He spoke quietly, huskily, as if moved by her words, thoughts, and fire. "You know, exhume means to dig up. I'm not sure you're using it right."

She smiled sunnily. "I know. But it stills works. Just trust me, Dad, believe in me, okay?"

He nodded and smiled back. Then he dropped her hands and rubbed his generous face slowly, as if tired. He scratched his exposed head, looking around, as if he had forgotten where he was. Finally, he looked back at her.

"Okay, Julie. You use your good judgement. I'll keep updated on his condition. You know how to contact me with any questions or concerns about all this. Keep a close eye on his nutrition and fluid intake. Give him two weeks and then we'll talk about getting you two back into productive society. I won't assign either of you jobs until I've spoken to each of you to assess your skills and preferences. I'll be checking in and staying home at some point but right now the situation is just too unstable until we eradicate the Boneys. I think we can all agree they're beyond saving."

He stopped, apparently making a mental checklist in his head of anything he had forgotten. Julie smiled and hugged him, then kissed his stubbly cheek. Then she once more looked him directly in the eyes.

"Thank you for trusting me, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too, Julie. You're a good daughter. I'm very proud of what you've accomplished. You've changed the whole world."

"Well, R did, too. I mean, he reached for something better than brain-eating Corpse. And I was there. It wasn't an easy reach," Julie said truthfully.

Grigio nodded in agreement, then looked toward the medical tent. "Speaking of which. . ."

R was walking toward them. A slow, but completely easy, human gait in his step. He was wearing clean jeans, a light blue tshirt, and off white sneakers. He smiled at Julie and held his smile when he looked at Grigio. _Good boy_, Julie thought. _Be confident. It's okay._

"Hi, Julie. Hello, Colonel Grigio." R shook the Colonel's hand.

"Good to see you again, R. You look like you're feeling better."

"Yes, I am. Thank you."

"Good. I understand you'll be staying at my, um, our, house for the forseeable future. I trust you will be neater than my daughter and her friend?" Grigio gently teased his daughter.

"Well, it'll be easy since I don't have anything. But yes, I'll be neat. Thank you for letting me stay," R looked sincerely relieved and grateful.

Grigio nodded. "Give us a couple of weeks to deal with the Boneys and assess the new situations and we'll send some armed men with you and you can get anything you like from your, uh, plane."

R nodded. On the Julie's-dad-just-shot-me ride, Julie had told her dad the whole truth. R had been initially afraid Colonel Grigio was going to shoot him all over again for kidnapping her, but he hadn't. Which was good because being shot as a human by your girlfriend's dad was a one-time novelty. He hoped.

"Just my vinyl records and the player, I think," he said, quietly.

Grigio nodded again as Julie exclaimed, "He's got Bob Dylan, Dad! One of your favorites!"

R shuffled for a moment, unsure of what to do or say next. Julie seemed to have actually run out of words. Grigio scratched his head, then checked his watch.

"I need to get back. I'm glad we're talked, Julie. R, be careful with yourself for the next couple of weeks."

Grigio hugged Julie, nodded to R, and headed off, the Colonel once more.

R turned to Julie. "Is everything okay?"

She smiled and hugged him happily. He hugged her back, still amazed at this turn of events.

"Yep. Let's go home. I'm hungry."

* * *

**Poor Colonel Grigio. He just never had a chance, did he? =)  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Mandolin Rain

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 4: Mandolin Rain

R took the wet clothes from the gigantic washer and transferred them to the adjacent, equally gigantic dryer. He grabbed a dryer sheet and threw that in as well. _Apparently, the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic world exhumation does not deter proper clothes laundering,_ he thought with a grin.

Actually, they only were allowed to launder one load of clothes for everyone in the house every two weeks. Being the Colonel's daughter only meant you probably had a lot more pairs of undies than the average Joe. Not that R looked. Well, maybe just a peek. They were in the laundry pile. Near the bottom.

It had been a week since his rebirth and he was feeling stronger every day. He still tired easily, but it came on gradually and from actually doing things. His shot shoulder was aching some but that was okay because it was pain he could live with. He hated painkillers because they dulled his senses. _No more Corpse flesh_, he thought determinedly for perhaps the thousandth time. _No more. I want to feel everything._

He walked slowly up the stairs, breathing deeply, enjoying that and the feel of the smooth bannister under his fingers. He, Nora, and Julie had divided up chores yesterday. He insisted he could do more than just fluff and fold. They insisted he would soon be completing every chore in and out of the house while they sat around chatting and eating bon-bons. Whatever those were.

Nora was gone from the house a lot because she was happily working and learning everything she could in medical tent – a dream she had held for some time. When she was around, they laughed and talked and had fun together. A couple of times, R had managed to slip away to give them some time together. They searched him out after a while and brought him back, threatening more make-up. But he could tell they appreciated it.

R had the thought that he and Julie were practicing at playing house and was wondering that meant when he heard the music coming from Julie's room. Her IPod was keeping away his vinyl withdrawal pains pretty well so far.

'You don't know what you got till you lose it all again. Listen to the mandolin rain, listen to the music on the lake'

Something started to clench in R's chest. He rubbed it distractedly, his mind latched onto the song.

'Listen to my heart break every time she runs away, oh, listen to the banjo wind, sad song drifting low'

His eyes burned. He swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. He rounded the corner of the door frame. Saw Julie. Back to him. Swaying in time to the music. He could barely draw a breath. Her blond ponytail swinging.

'Listen to the tears roll down my face as she turns to go'

Suddenly feeling weak, R crossed into the room. He sank down near the bed and put his back against it. Tears rimmed his lashes. Images flashed behind his eyes. Julie running away when he searched for her food. He gulped. Julie running away when he thought she was sleeping on the plane. His heart seized. Julie running away when he fell asleep at the abandoned house. Julie running away. Running away. Away. The song was so right, so clear.

His tears dropped silently. Julie turned and saw him.

"R? R! R, what's wrong?!"

She leaped the few feet to him, knelt in front of him, and grabbed his face.

"R? R! R?!"

"What . . . song . . ." he whispered, unable to hide his grief.

"Um, it's 'Mandolin Rain' by Bruce Hornsby and the Range," Julie answered, stunned.

"Yeah, you . . ." he croaked, unable to say more.

The idiot in his head made a glorious comeback in high fashion. _Holy crap, dude, am I glad I am here to see THIS! You're crying over a frickin' song?! She is bound to see what a crazy loser you are this time and throw you from her house for good! And all your underwear is in the wash! You know how to pull a good one, I will give you that, my friend!_

Julie climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms and upper legs tight around him. His arms came up around her and his head ducked down on her right shoulder. She laid her head down on his opposite shoulder and closed her eyes, rocking him ever so slightly. In the back of her mind, she thought, _I'm not stopping the song. Part of him needs to do this. When it's over and I'm still here, he'll feel better for it._

The idiot's mouth dropped open with disbelief. _A frickin' song? Come on! Nobody?! Anybody?! Am I the only one seeing this? Really?!_

Marcus, ever the one for timing, stepped into the doorway. He was wearing clean clothing and looked mostly human but for some slight discoloration around his ears and neck. His good-natured face held new animation and life. He glanced around at the situation and tilted his head at the song for a moment.

"You know, I'm not even in this, and that song's making _me_ want to cry. Man, what the heck _is_ this?"

R and Julie both looked up, somewhat disorientated. Nora appeared behind Marcus and took in the situation even as she was speaking.

"Hey, Marcus stopped by again and I said . . . Oooh, I love this song! It's so sexy! Every time I hear it, just want to make out with the first guy I can find! Hey . . . what's up?"

Marcus turned very slowly and looked at Nora closely. They stood that way for a moment, eyeballing each other. Then Marcus, without looking away, pointed a finger at Julie, and spoke.

"Play it again, Julie! And turn it up!"

For a second, the tableau held. Then they all started laughing simultaneously. As she laughed, Julie wiped the tears off R's face and he stroked her hair. Marcus and Nora leaned against opposite sides of the door frame and laughed at each other. Marcus' eyes never quite left her bright, laughing face.

The idiot stood in the epicenter of it all, dumbfounded and baffled. He jumped up and down, waved his arms, kicked his feet, and yelled soundlessly at them. They noticed him not at all and eventually he passed out from sheer exhaustion and bewilderment.

And the friends laughed. And hugged. And talked. And laughed some more. It was a good time. Julie had been right. R felt cleaned out, stronger, more confident. More human. It was good.

* * *

**"Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Yes, it is both the saddest and sexiest song I have ever heard in my life. That wasn't sung by Chris Cornell.**

**Check it out. Not the live version though.**


	5. Chapter 5: Unnatural Acts

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 5: Unnatural Acts

"Okay, R. Are you ready?" Nora asked.

They were all alone in R's seldom used bedroom. It was nice enough, pretty much an identical layout to Julie's with a connecting bathroom and everything. There was one small, significant problem. Julie didn't sleep there. Her junk wasn't spread all over it. Her scent wasn't there, embedded in every fabric and fiber. Hence the rarity of its use.

"Um, yes," R answered, trying his best not to sound nervous. _What if others found out?_ No, _no one has to know. It's just a secret between friends. Besides, I have no experience doing this and maybe it's time to try it. I don't even want to know where Nora learned it. _

He had accidently caught Nora the other day in her room, doing it all alone. How very interesting for the human body accomplish such feats. He asked her why she engaged in these acts. She told him it felt good. He was intrigued. She said it strengthened the lungs, what with all the deep breathing and such. She said it would increase his stamina. He needed that. She would help him be a stronger man. For himself. For Julie. What a great friend!

What a devious charlatan, to trick a poor, helpless, uneducated, newly reborn human into such unnatural acts! How dare she?

"If you're uncomfortable, need to slow down, or stop, just say so," Nora reminded him.

"Okay." _Stop_, R thought. But he didn't say anything. His body needed this. Even if he didn't know how. Nora could teach him and keep it secret.

"Take a deep breath and reach your arms up over your head."

R did as he was told. Nora came over and put her hands on his sides. He did not move. Bright sunlight was streaming in through the large window panes. _Nobody can see you. You're on the second floor. No one's looking. Just relax. You're got privacy. For whatever this is. Just calm down. It doesn't work properly if you're not calm._

"No, straighten your back and stretch up," she corrected gently, sliding her arms up his sides and up to his elbows.

_Okay, this is weird. No, it's not. Just try it once and don't even tell anybody. I can do this. Okay._

Nora nodded, let go, and resumed her previous position near him.

"Better. Now lean over and put your hands on the floor."

R did as instructed, thinking if he was still a Corpse, he would have simply pitched face first onto the floor. So there he stood, feeling foolish, with his modest posterior sticking out and his clean white cotton shirt slowly inching up his back. _Okay, well, this can't possibly get any worse._

"Now walk your hands forward a few feet and press your hips up toward the ceiling," Nora said, modeling the pose.

_Nope, I was wrong_. R tried hard not to stare. _I am so glad I can't see myself right now. I might die all over again. What the . . . Um, Nora, is it really necessary to wear clothes that tight when you do this? And from this angle . . . Wait, what am I supposed to be doing? Oh right. Shaming myself._

The pose hurt his two and a half week old gunshot wound so they moved on quickly. Nora took him through Warrior Pose and Tree Pose. He did his best and didn't hate them so much until she demonstrated Bridge Pose. He balked.

"Um, Nora? I'm not doing that."

She looked at him from her odd position on the floor. "Why not? It's great for your hips and pelvis. Really opens them up."

"Uh huh." R glanced at her, then spoke intently to a space near her right ear. "Yeah, um, I can see that. But I'm still not doing it. You see, Nora, well, um, I'm a guy and I'm not doing that."

She smirked and shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy. Let's see, um, let's go for Triangle Pose then."

They continued on through Triangle, Seated Twist, Cobra, and Pigeon Pose. When Nora demonstrated Crow Pose, R stopped her again.

"Um, Nora? Are you sure you're doing that right?" R inquired, not unkindly.

She considered herself and blew away a stray hair that had stealthily escaped from her loose bun.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, I don't really know. I wasn't actually into yoga before this whole apocalypse thing got started. I read this out of a book."

They finished up with Child's Pose and then lay face up on the floor side by side for a few minutes, each lost in private thoughts. Nora repeatedly clenched her abdominal muscles, thinking about how she really missed meat-loaded pizzas and R flexing his healing shoulder wondering if yoga was really the exercise of choice for him.

"Nora? Thank you for showing me yoga."

"No problem. See you again tomorrow?"

"Well, um, you know, let me get back to you on that."

The idiot in his head was silent. Probably because he had stroked out right around the time R considered Bridge Pose for the very first time. He still had not regained consciousness.

"Nora?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Marcus."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Unless you tick me off."

Silence for a moment.

"Nora?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a very special human. I like you."

"Thanks, R. I like you too."

* * *

**I'm really bad at yoga so I can only imagine R attempting these poses. Maybe he's better than I am. No offense for any yogis out there. I respect that you can do that properly.**


	6. Chapter 6: Untied Shoes

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 6: Untied Shoes

True to his word, R routinely visited the medical tent and conferred with the attendants on his ongoing progress. He also met with recovering Corpses and newly reborn humans who sought his reassurance and insight. It felt weird to him that people actually came to him for counsel. They wanted to hear his thoughts and opinions. They listen and considered. They respected and looked up to him. _Me? I'm just a Corpse trying not to be creepy. Wait, no I'm not. Okay, still weird._

R was the first newly reborn human. It had all started with him. And Julie. He gave the others hope. He proved to them and everybody else by his actions that they could be more than just slow, pale, hunched-over, dead-eyed zombies. He showed them that they could be alive, connected, accepted, and taught. They wanted that. They wanted it so much. Just to feel and be human. _Many humans don't realize what a precious commodity it is: to feel human_, R thought. _They've never been without it._ _But it is. Everything is pointless without it. The human connection._

R, former insignificant, shuffling Corpse, was now an inspiration to all Corpses who dared to hope. Who dared to yearn for life. Who dared to reach out for and clutch at humanity in their desperate, fumbling, zombie fingers. This made most regular humans regard him with curiosity and awe. A few humans were not so kind and avoided him or sought to banish him and his kind from their society. They were in the minority. He tried not to take it personally. He tried to remind himself that they were just afraid of what they did not understand. Human society would adapt. It would accept. He had faith. He believed. He had to. _We've come too far for anything else_, he thought determinedly.

He was out walking by himself in the city in the middle of day. This simple act of independence took courage for him, but it just another necessary step in his development process. Julie had reassured him that many people felt shyness in public and it wasn't necessarily Corpse mentality. Some people are just quiet like that, she had said. _My sweet Julie,_ he thought, with a grin. _If not for you, none of this would ever have happened. I'm sure glad I didn't eat your brains._

Several people were out as well, most simply moving from place to place. R looked down and noticed he had an untied shoe. He stopped, and bent down to tie it. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. _I have a spectator_. He looked around. A little girl, about five years old with short brown pixie hair and green eyes, was standing a few feet away. She wore a faded yellow sweater with a green smiley face on it and baggy jeans. Her shoelaces were untied. She was staring fixedly at him. Her female companion was chatting with a friend off to the side of the path. _Hello, small person. May I help you?_

The little girl pointed to his shoes and spoke.

"Shoelaces suck."

He grinned and said, "Sometimes."

"My daddy used to help me with mine."

"That's nice." _How do you talk to children, again?_

She regarded him carefully and continued, "Are you the guy that was a Corpse and fell in the pool?"

"Yes." _Better to be honest._

She shifted from foot to foot. "And then your girlfriend kissed you and woke up you up from being a Corpse?"

_Not a bad explanation._ "Yes."

She scratched her nose, dangerously close to a pick. "Like Sleeping Beauty? But not? 'Cause Sleeping Beauty never ate nobody, you know. "

Julie had been teaching him to read out of children's fairy tale books. He remembered the tale. _Now there's a new thought. Corpse Sleeping Beauty in the high tower, eating the brains of the unassuming Prince. Eww. _

"Yeah," He made a silly face. "But I'm not as pretty."

She giggled and then became solemn. Pulled on her left ear. Scratched her nose again. _Don't go for the booger, honey. Just let it be. For me._

"So you don't eat people anymore?"

"No."

She grew still again and stared at him intently. She shuffled a little and seemed to be making a decision in her head. Suddenly she ran over and threw her arms around him. He was stunned but instinctively hugged her back. _I hope I don't get shot for this. It'd be kind of a bummer. _She squeezed him tightly with her skinny little arms and then let go. Then she put her tiny hands on either side of his face and touched her nose almost to his, looking deep into his blue eyes with her green ones. R was about to draw back when she spoke in a whisper.

"I'm glad you woke up into human again. If you see my daddy, will you help him wake up human, too? I really miss him. He got bit and we had to run away. Will you help him if you see him?"

R looked straight into her bright, sincere eyes, trying not to weep. "If I see him, I promise I'll try."

She quickly kissed his nose, startling him. "Thank you. And I'll tell him to help you with your shoelaces." She grinned happily.

"Okay." _I will not cry all over this beautiful little child._

The little girl let go of him just as her person rushed over and took her hand. Barely glancing at R, she said, "Come one, sweetie. We don't talk to strangers," and pulled her away.

"But Momma, he's not a stranger, he's a Corpse that got kissed and woke up and . . ."

They disappeared down the path and R watched them go. He stood there, letting the world flow around him._ Is her dad is out there somewhere? Is he alone, a Corpse, shuffling around lost? Disconnected? Trapped? Unable to feel? I can't remember anything about my past. Would that man remember his wife? His daughter and those eyes? Or were they lost to his memory forever, never again to feel that oh so important connection?_ _And who would be left to make him care about shoe laces_? _Might he collect masses of shoelaces? Arrange them, look at them, touch them, sense something fleeting he could never quite identify? All alone in desolate waste of zombie nothingness with only piles of moldering shoe laces steadily growing around him for company as the years continued to pass on and on unabated? _

R suddenly shivered from head to toe. It was still early in his walk but he was done for today.

_I'm going home now and I'm going to take my shoes off. I'm going shoeless for the rest of the day. I'm only going to engage in shoeless activities. Tomorrow, I'll put on my shoes again and go out. But not today. _

He turned toward home and thought, _I really hope Julie's there. _

She was. And later, so were Nora and Marcus.

The next day, R put on his shoes and went out again.

* * *

**Tie your shoes tightly today and be well. =)**


	7. Chapter 7: Fruit is Dangerous

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 7: Fruit is Dangerous

R walked home from work. His body felt tired, but it was a good kind of tired. A productive kind of tired. He was contributing to society. Of course it hadn't been an easy start.

"So, R, what are you good at?" the Colonel had said conversationally at the house one day.

R had gnawed on the inside of his lower lip momentarily. _Don't say 'kissing your daughter'. Don't say 'kissing your daughter'. _"I'm not sure yet. But l'd like to find out." _Don't say 'more about kissing your daughter'. Don't you say it. But it's the only thing I know I like. And I'm good at it. I think._

Colonel Grigio, ever the realist, had realized that R had no memory of any skill set he might have at one time possessed.

"Well, we'll just have to assign you to different work details and see what you're good at. How does that sound?"

R had nodded in agreement. The Colonel had thought a minute then continued.

"You can work something basic, like cleanup, to get started. How's your energy?"

_Better when I'm kissing your daughter. Don't say that. Okay. _"Improving every day."

"Good. I'll assign you to a work detail for tomorrow for a few hours. See how you do and take it from there. We'll alternate between lighter and heavier work days. And take days off to rest. After about a week, we'll see how you're doing. Think you can handle that?"

_The guy was fast_. "Yes, sir," R had nodded again.

Colonel Grigio had paused then patted R on the shoulder before moving on with his day.

_Wow. Practically a hug_, R had thought, relieved it had gone so well. _Once a guy shoots you and you live, you kind of have a new respect for him. Plus, you don't tick him off._ _Especially if he belongs to your girlfriend._

So far, R had done mostly outside work detail. That was okay. There were even a few Corpses on some of the teams and he could tell they were happy like him just to be working and part of society again.

R arrived home and let himself inside. Nobody home. Nora was working with the medical attendants and Julie was helping sort some newly salvaged food supplies. He was all alone for a while. He went up to Julie's room and grabbed his book.

R never could read as a Corpse. He would stare at the lines and scribbles, trying to make sense of them. But their meaning of was always hovering just out of reach. If he looked away and looked back, he would forget which scribble he had been trying to focus on.

A few days after his rebirth, as he was still too weak to do much else, Julie had offered to read to him. For him, it was a good excuse to hear her melodic voice. She had read 'To Dance with a White Dog' by Terry Kay. The book was blue (his favorite color) and the story was relaxing and easy to follow. Julie's beautiful voice read it so well.

At first, he would close his eyes and just listen. Then started picturing the story in his mind. Soon, he began watching the book as she read. He started recognizing the words she repetitively used. The change wasn't instantaneous, but it was definitely progressed in such way that he thought it might not have ever disappeared completely. Maybe it had been there the whole time, buried beneath the Corpse, waiting to be exhumed. Like everything else.

He didn't just magically read. Julie took a lot of patience with him and he practiced a lot by himself. But it was there. Like hide-and-seek word remembrance. As it turned out, he had a pretty good memory for everything following his rebirth. It was just the "before time" he had trouble with. His mind soaked up the new skills and information like it had been starved of mental activity for years. Maybe it had.

His book. Nora had brought it to him one day. "Now that you're all human – learn about yourself."

He stared at the cover as she read it out loud, "Human Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies".

R looked at her with no guile in his blue eyes, and stated stubbornly, "I'm not a dummy."

Nora blinked at him and then at the book. She considered it for a second. Then quick as a whip, she ripped the paper cover off of the thick yellow tome and tossed it over her shoulder without looking. Grabbing a thick black pen off a nearby table, she wrote at the top of the first page, "R's Big Book of Icky, Sticky Human Stuff".

At first, he had wondered if she was making fun of him. But as he studied her carefully, he realized she wasn't. That was just Nora, solving the problem in her own unique fashion. So he had shyly thanked her and accepted his first book. He was working his way slowly through it, studying every page carefully. He was completely fascinated by the workings of a real live human body. Now that he had one, he wanted to understand every single thing about it. Even if he couldn't pronounce all the technical words.

"R! Hey R?" Julie voice sounded in the house, calling him back from his reverie. "Are you home? Come here! Quick!"

_Aw, no reading. Well, maybe later._ He gently placed 'R's Big Book of Icky, Sticky Human Stuff' back down and went to go find his Julie.

She was in the kitchen, a big smile on her bright eyes. She was wearing jeans and a dusky rose cotton shirt. Her hair was loose around her shoulders. Her feet were already barefoot. He grinned. She loved being barefoot. She was clearly excited about something important. He waited expectantly. She held out a can, triumphant in her discovery.

"Look!"

A can. It was a can.

Julie expounded on the subject succinctly. "Fruit cocktail!"

_A can. Of fruit cocktail. Okay. I can figure this out. Just give me a second._

His lack of understanding was obvious. She yanked open a drawer, pulled out a can opener, and hopped up on the kitchen island counter. Opened the can. Discarded the can opener. Grabbed a spoon from the drawer between her knees. Dipped it into the open can. Took a bite.

"Mmmm . . . " she sighed, her eyes slipping closed as she licked her lips in bliss.

Something that felt like an electric shock started in his head and began spreading, making his whole body tingle. Julie opened her bright blue eyes and beckoned to him. He stumbled forward, mesmerized by her captivating display. She dipped the spoon back in the can and offered him some of the fruit cocktail.

"Seriously," she said happily around a mouthful of fruit. "You can, like, taste the Vitamin C."

R took a bite carefully from her offered spoon. A sweet taste engulfed his tongue as the fruits and their juices flooded his mouth. His entire body pounced on the welcome nutrition.

_Give me more of THAT! _

Julie took turns feeding them both and together they devoured the fruit cocktail until none remained. When the can was empty, Julie set it and the spoon haphazardly on the counter. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"That's what I was eating with the beer on the plane. I'm so excited you got to try it now that you can taste it! What do you think?" she gushed, swinging her legs and fidgeting.

R stared fixedly at her. His body was absorbing the needed vitamins and sugar rapidly, transforming them into energy and life. The tingly feeling he'd been experiencing finally converged onto a centralized location south of his stomach. He suddenly reached out, grabbed her face, and kissed her hungrily. She responded in kind, grabbing at his shirt, pulling him closer. His hands were in her hair, on her back, pressing her to him. She made soft sound in her throat and his tingly feeling increased. One of them knocked the empty fruit can off the counter. Everything was awake in him. Everything was pounding.

Pounding. Somebody was pounding on the door. "Hey, you guys, are you here? Hello?"

They broke apart, startled by the sudden interruption. R stepped back, reflexively, still panting. His heel landed perfectly on the abandoned can and he gracelessly fell backward. _Ahhh!_

_And he's done it again, folks! Holy crap, he was making out with a girl and literally landed on his butt! Oh man, this is too good to be true!_ The idiot crowed with delight, leaping out of thin air.

Julie gasped and then threw her head back with laughter. As she did, she overbalanced and fell sideways off the counter, crashing to the floor. "Whoa!"

The idiot freaked out. _Oh this is amazing! Whoo! She fell right over! You have done the impossible, my friend! I just have no more words for this one! _

Rubbing his injured head and rubbing her injured hip, they crawled toward each other on the floor.

"Oh, R," Julie gasped, red-faced. "Oh, I'm sorry I laughed. You just looked so, so, _surprised_. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are you?" They sat, nursing their separate injuries.

Nora appeared in the doorframe, looking baffled. "What are you guys doing? Do I smell fruit? Why are you on the floor?"

R and Julie looked at each other and started chuckling. Julie spoke first.

"Fruit is dangerous."

* * *

**Kudos to brigid1318 for catching the Christopher Titus references! I love that guy! My inner idiot yelled at me for an hour today and I needed the boost. Thanks! Here's a virtual lollipop! Don't think Titus will mind, do ya? =)**


	8. Chapter 8: Sickness and Health

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 8: Sickness and Health

It was during the fourth week of his human life that it finally happened. It was unplanned and unexpected. The experience of it was unlike anything R had ever felt before. It changed him forever. He would never again view the human world in quite the same way. Nothing could have prepared him for it. Julie would always remember it as well. She had some previous experience but it had been quite some time ago. Easy to forget the intensity of it. Easy to forget how your whole world shrinks to a finite pinpoint of time. Easy to forget the whole world and everything else in it except that one person you're with. It solidified their special bond in even more ways than she could have imagined. As is often the case, at the time, the details were a little hazy and vague.

"Oh, Julie! Julie, I need you! Julie!"

"Hold on, R! I'm almost there!"

"Julie, I can't wait anymore!"

"You have too, R! Please, just a few more seconds!"

He tried. They barely made it. Braced by Julie's diminutive frame, R lurched into the bathroom and staggered toward the toilet. Julie stepped back out quickly and shut the door behind her as R dropped into position and fumbled for the bucket she'd left for him.

Just in time too. R lost everything all at once. Absolutely everything. From everywhere. A complete and utter involuntary evacuation. He didn't know humans could experience this severe a physical reaction and survive. It was completely horrendous. He had no control over anything his body did. He was powerless in throes of a violent, hostile takeover.

Apart from actually ripping into a cranial cavity, scooping out the grey matter, and putting it in his mouth, this was the most disgusting he had ever witnessed or experienced. Even when he was a Corpse, a part of him had enjoyed the sensation of feeling better, of feeling a little less dead. And since he was dead, there had actually been no taste at all.

There was no part of this experience that made him feel that any of that. The pain, the helplessness, the shame, even the actual taste, it was all just beyond words. It was one of the few times he had no inner monologue because it was impossible to form any thoughts other than _'oh no, not again'_.

Emptied out, drained, weak, he slowly put down the bucket as far away as he could and still reach it. He started to slowly clean himself up but it was a pointless exercise. The horrible sickness attacked him all over again and his efforts were futile as he once again expelled everything he had to offer within his treacherous, ailing body.

He had no sense of time. All he knew was that the misery was never going to stop. Finally, it seemed to be over. He once again cleaned himself. Even cleaned, he felt hideously, disgustingly, filthy. When he shakily rose, he was weak and dizzy. He almost fell over but managed to stumble over to the sink and wash his hands. He shuffled to the door and opened it.

_Bed. Bed. See bed. Go to bed. Julie? Where Julie? Julie? Please come quick. I'm dying._

From a chair in a corner, Julie stood up and waited while he collapsed into the bed. She carefully wrapped his trembling body in a warm blanket, wiped his sweaty, clammy face with a blessedly cool rag, and murmured comforting words that included "be here" and "sleep".

She headed off in the direction of the bathroom, presumably to disinfect it. If R had been lucid at all, he would have been sorrowful to see her go, knowing that he would never again feel the comfort of her acceptance and love. There are some horrors that nothing can witness and withstand. Especially wet, smelly, sick things. Fortunately, before R could think any of this, he passed out.

Later when he opened his eyes, he was alone in a room he barely recognized.

_My room. I'm in my room. Why am I in my room?_ R wondered groggily.

_Because, O' Vomitus One, you have unceremoniously cheesed and excremented all over creation and are hence forthwith banished from the presence of Julie and all other living beings. Like, forever. You're completely gross, dude._

R almost welcomed the idiot back into his head. Almost. If his psyche was strong enough to produce the idiot, he might not be dying. Maybe. Then he made the mistake of moving. He groaned weakly. Everything hurt. Every. Single. Thing. With regret, he closed his eyes and waited dejectedly for the inevitable end of his short human existence.

_Well, I enjoyed it while it lasted_, R thought pitifully._ It was more than I could've hoped for. I'll miss it. Kind of a bummer._

R was unwell for several days. Julie tended to him around the clock, sleeping on the couch in his room and keeping watch over him. She brought him sustenance and medicine to heal his infirm body. She prayed his still newly human body would remember how to mend itself and not regress to something even worse. These types of things could get out of control easily in the post-apocalyptic world. It had happened before.

Luckily, the sickness did pass. When R was stronger and consistently symptom-free, Julie brought him back into her bed. She stayed with him, talking, playing music, and reading, much as she did the first few days after his human rebirth. She forced him to eat and drink when he didn't want to. She threatened to enlist Marcus' help in the rehabilitation process. Did R really want Marcus to come and snuggle up in bed with him? No? Better eat all the soup then. Nora stayed in the background but kept an eye not only on R but on her friend. That was her job. Looking out for Julie. The Colonel sent regular supplies to the house and ran lackeys' legs off in an effort to keep updated while out in the field eradicating Boneys. R got better. Life moved on. Thankfully.

* * *

Bright sunlight sparkled through the mostly bare tree branches. A few light, fluffy clouds drifted slowly across the blue sky. Gentle zephyrs puffed cool breaths through the tranquil air. Young, tender grass shoots pushed up through the awakening earth and whispering water lapped quietly at the edge of the small lake. All in all, a charming scene.

Julie sat cross-legged on the ground, her blond tresses loose around her shoulders. R lay on his back with his head resting on her delicate ankles, one leg stretched out in front of him and one leg slightly bent at the knee. His hands were clasped and resting on his flat stomach. His peaceful face was tilted up to hers and appeared upside down to her vision. He might have been sleeping if not for the faint smile that occasionally flitted across his handsome countenance.

Julie affectionately caressed his face and neck. She ran her fingers lightly over his features, committing everything to memory all over again. She gently stroked his soft eyelids and long lashes, his straight, strong nose, and his uniquely shaped eyebrows. She traced his lips intently, fascinated by their texture and shape. She drew soft lines on his collarbone and the hollow of his throat, slowly up his long, alluring neck, and around his defined chin. She brushed her fingers in long, slow, sweeping strokes up his jawline to his distinctive cheekbones.

When she reached his ears, she traced them and then playfully tugged. She ran her hands slowly through his hair, mussing and ruffling it until it stuck up in all directions. He smirked, and without opening his eyes, reached up to lovingly cup and stroke her face. Then his hands slipped down slowly to massage the length of her back. The touch of his fingers sent quiet shivers through her spine. She took a moment to look away from him, raising her face gratefully to the warm sun and taking a deep content breath.

"Julie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we came out here."

"Me too."

"Julie?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, R."

* * *

**The second experience is mine (not with Nicholas Hoult of course, haha) and I've always treasured it. =)**


	9. Chapter 9: Day Trip

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 9: Day Trip

R did not consider himself to be a pretty guy. He did not spend an excessive amount of time on his personal appearance. He did not admire himself in mirrors. Well, maybe just a little. To appreciate his natural, human appearance. Plus, after being a Corpse for so long, he enjoyed being clean and well groomed. Just another advantage of being human. And even he wouldn't exactly call himself ugly.

After a quick shower, (the post-apocalyptic world did not allow daily showering though he wished it did), he carefully brushed his teeth and his hair. He applied deodorant and remembered when Julie first showed him _that_ little grooming tip . _How embarrassing_, he thought and grimaced. Finally, R donned freshly laundered clothing and clean shoes and scrutinized himself in the mirror.

_Lookin' good, Corpse-y,_ the idiot chimed in. _Ready to go back where you belong?_

_No_, R thought. _But I want my vinyl. And maybe I can leave you there while I'm at it._

_ Oh, dude, that hurts me right deep down in our Corpse-y little heart._

R shook his head and turned away from the mirror. There was no denying it. He was definitely anxious about going back to the plane. He didn't for a moment believe in the possibility that he would revert back to Corpse-ness, but he wasn't looking forward to being faced with his previous dead-life. Maybe that's why he had taken extra time with his appearance this morning. As an extra shield from his Corpse past. Removing him another step further. Cementing him in his humanity.

Julie knocked on the door and came in. Her blond hair was in a ponytail. Basic jeans and shirt. Partially unlaced boots. Unlike R, she was not dressing _against_ the past but _for_ it. These clothes were her defiant battle armor. Bring it on. She would protect R from any horror he had to face. She was ready to fight for him, emotionally or physically. She was not afraid.

"Ready?" she asked.

R tried to smile, but it faltered and he ducked his head. "No."

She came over and took his face in her hands. "Hey, we don't have to do this," she said, knowing that he was indeed choosing to do this emotionally for himself. He wasn't one to turn away and hide. She respected and loved him for it.

"I want my vinyl," he whispered. That was only part of it and they both knew it.

"I know", Julie gently caressed his face. "I'll be right there with you. And if you change your mind, we can bail. Anytime, just say it."

_Man, doesn't she ever get tired of taking care of your pathetic, loser, skinny butt?_ The idiot sniped.

R was proud he managed a retort. _Nope. In fact, she seems to actually like my skinny butt. And all my other parts._

Julie kissed him, full of human love and acceptance. He gave her the same right back.

The idiot threw up his hands in disbelief and evaporated as they broke apart.

"Alright," Julie nodded determinedly with a steely smile in her eyes. "Let's do this."

On the ride, they were both quiet. Julie maintained an almost constant physical contact. Hold his hand. Touch his face. Rub his neck. Nudge his foot with hers. Elbow him and point to something out the window. She didn't kiss him because the armed soldiers were right there. But that was okay. She didn't have to. She was there. That was enough.

Following R's directions, they eventually arrived at the plane. His stomach clenched when he saw it. It looked exactly the same. He took a deep breath and got out of the army vehicle. He mounted the stairs slowly and pulled open the creaky hatch. Immediately, his knees trembled and he braced himself with a clammy hand on a musty seat back. He could feel Julie's presence close behind him but she seemed like a dream.

Everything was exactly the same. Five weeks and it looked like he'd only stepped out a minute ago to aimlessly wander. Was this possible? Had he ever really left? Had it all actually happened? Had everything been a dream?

_No, no, Corpses don't dream and Corpses don't feel_, he reassured himself shakily. _And Corpses can't smell the staleness of this abandoned plane. Calm down. Take a deep human breath._

Julie patted him on the back. "You okay?" she asked.

He nodded and slowly moved forward. He walked slowly through the dim aisles, looking at his collected hoard. It was a lot. More than he could remember collecting. How long had it taken to procure all this? Surely it must have been years. All the sad, lonely years. Reaching out, clutching at the last vestiges of humanity he could find. Desperate for a connection. Unable to make just one. He touched the bobble head dog lightly and it nodded as if in agreement. _Yes, it was quite a while, _it seemed to be saying_. Aren't you grateful to be out?_

R couldn't leave it there. He picked it up and held it in his hand, rubbing his fingers over it absently. He could hear the soldiers talking to each other, confirming the safety of the surrounding area but their voices seemed to be coming from a long distance away. He moved on, deeper into the plane, carefully placing the toy deep in his jacket pocket.

Reaching the vinyl collection, he sighed and ran his fingers over them. He remembered doing this so many times before. Thoughtfully selecting the right song to speak for him when he could not. To communicate what he could not. To provide the human connection that he could not. There were so, so many. Where had they all come from? _Who_ had they all come from? Were any of the owners still alive or being reborn into humanity even now? Would he ever know?

He needed to sit down and think for a moment. Absorb everything, sort out his tangled thoughts and roiling emotions. But not here. Not in one of these moldy seats where he had spent so many days and nights alone, yearning for something irretrievably lost to him. Not here where he brought Julie, crying and terrified, afraid for her life. Not even here where she had named him, reinforcing his journey back toward humanity. Not here. He could not, would not sit here. Not now. Not ever again.

"Hey, DVDs! Want to take any of them?" Julie asked from a few stacks away. She started shuffling through them. He saw the zombie movie she had held up next to his Corpse face. Others he didn't recognize. She held up one, examining it closely.

"Hey, this kid looks familiar," she said, curious.

R glanced over. "About A Boy", he read. He looked at the cover and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

Julie shrugged back (picking up his bad habits, uh-oh) and discarded the DVD stacks. She came over and stood with her hands on her hips in front of the collection.

"Ok, do you want to take just some or the whole thing?" she asked him.

That was an easy decision. "All of them. Any we don't like, we can find someone who will."

She smiled at him adoringly, then refocused on the task at hand. "Okay. We'll clean them all up at home and take it from there."

He smiled and suddenly reached out for her, grateful more than ever for her presence. She held him tightly. She was his salvation. Everything he had accomplished was because of her. He knew it. She knew it. They were both grateful for it.

"Thank you for coming with me," he said.

"Always", she said.

"Let's get this stuff and leave."

"Okay."

They collected armfuls of records and stacked them in the back of the army vehicle. The soldiers did not assist, busy standing guard. Besides, this was R's journey, R's responsibility, R's therapy. The last thing he removed from the plane was his faithful record player. He stacked it with the vinyl and patted it affectionately before closing the door.

The soldiers stood alert, though no Boneys had been spotted. As R and Julie approached, one of them said, "Are you ready, sir? Or is there anything else?"

_Who is he calling sir?_ R glanced around for a second. _Oh, me. That's weird._

R looked at the plane, shook his head, and said confidently, "No. Please take us home."

And so they did. R did look back at the plane momentarily and mentally waved a goodbye to it. Then he kept his eyes on Julie, the present, and the future.

* * *

**Nicholas Hoult acted in About A Boy. I couldn't resist. ;)**


	10. Chapter 10: Light of Morning

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 10: Light of Morning

R was back in the plane. He staggered through the aisles, hunting for her. For Julie. He was hungry and he could smell her. She smelled deliciously human. He didn't want to hurt Julie, but the new hunger was a very powerful thing. He needed to devour Julie's brains.

He saw her ahead of him, backing up, terror in her eyes. She was pleading with him, tears rolling down her cheeks. He didn't want to hurt her, but he felt only the hunger. He couldn't help it. The brains were the best part. He needed to feel human again. He needed to feed. He cornered her, attacked her. He ended her life with extreme violence even as she screamed and vehemently fought him to the bitter end.

Then he ate. And ate. He scooped out everything he could. And he felt human. He even gained her thoughts and memories.

"Perry, I think I love you."

"What are you?"

"Dad, I triggered something in him."

"You're alive?!"

"I love you, R."

"R! Please, R! Please, wake up! R! R? You're dreaming, wake up!"

R jerked awake and tried to make sense of himself. _I feel. I feel . . . cold._ Dressed in black sleep pants and shirt, he had flung the blankets to the floor in his writhing misery and now he was cold. He was shaking, trembling. Cold sweat was pouring off him. His heart was pounding so hard it was painful. He couldn't breathe. Deep in his throat, he was groaning.

"Nnnuuuoooooo . . . ", he sounded like a Corpse.

Julie. Julie was beside him, her eyes wild and bleary. She was holding his shoulders and shaking him. She was dressed in blue sleep shorts and shirt, not work shirt and jeans. There was no blood in her tangled, blond hair or gaping, ragged holes revealing her brain. She was alive. She was okay. He hadn't hurt her.

"R! R? You're dreaming, wake up! Wake up!"

He made a conscious effort to stop groaning. It wasn't easy. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them in an attempt to quell his tremors. He couldn't look straight at Julie. Not yet. It was too soon.

"R? Are you okay? You were dreaming and thrashing and I couldn't wake you. You kept saying 'no, I'm sorry' over and over. Are you okay?"

R abruptly got up and went into the bathroom. Julie followed him at a distance. He splashed water on his sweaty face and rinsed out his sour mouth. He put his hands on either side of the sink and stared at himself intently in the mirror.

_Okay. Pay attention. Skin: Normal healthy color; no pale grey. Eyes: full bright blue; blink easily. Cheeks: not hollow. Lips: normal pink, no dried gore. Teeth: white, no greyish-blue, no residual gore. No black blood vessel lines. No hideous Corpse scarring. Okay. All human. Okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._

He turned and beheld his Julie, leaned against the doorframe, curiously observing his peculiar display. Her eyes had lost that wild look, but she was definitely wakeful.

He voiced the only words he could manage. "I'm okay." He even looked her in the eyes when he said it.

She nodded slowly. "Okay. You want to come back to bed?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. You can."

She gave him a withering look that reassured him that she wasn't going anywhere. And followed him as he stepped out onto the balcony. A refreshingly cool breeze ruffled his dark hair. He leaned over and put his elbows on the rail and let his head hang. Julie came up quietly and leaned on him.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked.

"No," R said. She would hate him forever. Throw him out. Have Kevin blow his head to bits.

But he did tell her. He had to. It was the way they were. And when he was done, they were both shivering. He thought she was going to turn away from him for the first time since the abandoned house. But she didn't.

Instead she casually inquired, "Any brain cravings now?"

He shook his head without speaking. She sighed and rubbed his back.

"Then come back to bed with me."

He did as he was told. She wrapped them both up in blankets, pillows, arms, legs, and love. When the lights were off, she murmured sweet words of reassurance into his hungry ears. She told him how much she loved him, trusted him, believed in him. She told him that it was the day trip to the plane that had done it to him. She reminded him of all the wonderful things that had happened since his human rebirth. She told him how difficult it was to lie in bed with him every night and control her cravings for _his _body parts. She made him smile in the dark. She made him kiss her. She made him promise to forgive himself. She loved him right back into peaceful, horror-free sleep.

* * *

In the light of morning, everything was different. R felt completely, normally human again. It had all been a stupid dream. He lay in bed, curled up with his sleeping Julie. He stayed that way for a while, arms enveloping her, holding her close to him. He thought of those days as a Corpse when he wanted to hold her so badly and couldn't. When she'd slept and he'd watched her. Wanting to touch her. Wanting her to touch him. Simple, human contact.

She snored softly and muttered nonsense in her sleep when he dropped little kisses on her cheek. When he nuzzled her neck, she rolled drowsily away from him. When he touched her nose with his finger, she swatted sleepily at an invisible fly. He smirked and decided to get up and let her sleep. It wasn't easy. She was so cuddly.

_Caring for a mentally instable boyfriend in the middle of the night must really wear her out,_ he thought wryly . But he didn't really believe his own negativity. He remembered a few occasions when she'd had nightmares and woken him up. She was never devouring his brains in the dreams, that was true, but she'd talk and he'd listen. She'd cry and he'd comfort. He felt it must be acceptably human if Julie did it.

After attending to his bathroom necessities, R quietly left the room and headed downstairs. As he descended the steps, the smell hit him in the face like a brick. _What is that? _he thought hungrily. He forgot all about the dream. Salivating, he increased his speed and arrived at the kitchen, seeking out the fantastic aroma. He stopped short, his jaw slack. He couldn't seem to remember how to blink. He just stared.

"Shut your mouth, you're drawing flies," Nora called, giggling.

Nora was seated at the kitchen table, a medical book open in front of her. She was dressed in grey sleep pants and long sleeved shirt. Her hair was messily twisted up, tendrils framing her face. One leg was propped up in the chair. In her hands, she delightedly cuddled a small glass of white liquid. She looked extremely satisfied and happy for so early in the morning.

The Colonel stood in front of the stove in his army uniform, holding a spoon. This was what R couldn't process. _What is he doing? Shouldn't he be holding a firearm of some kind?_

John Grigio turned and tossed an accommodating smile in R's direction. R nearly faceplanted onto the kitchen floor.

"Good morning, R," he said mildly. "Care for some breakfast?"

Nora burst through R's confused brain. "I was just gotta eat a nutrition bar, you know? Then he just showed up with fresh milk and eggs! And we're having rice with dates and honey! It's like Christmas!"

Colonel Grigio chuckled quietly at Nora and looked pointedly at R. "It would seem, R, sometimes things _do_ get better."

He began to turn back to his preparations as R approached slowly, resolutely.

"I'm glad you're here, sir. I have something to discuss with you, actually." R looked to Nora. She nodded encouragingly at him. _Go for it._

"Oh. And what is that, R?" The Colonel looked at him, still holding the spoon.

_He can't cut my heart out with a spoon, can he? _R refused to panic_._

He took a deep, steadying breath. "Well, sir, it's about Julie."

They spoke at some length. It was a very momentous conversation between R and Julie's father. There were no raised voices. Colonel John Grigio did not cut R's heart out with a spoon. Not even once. The discussion concluded amicably. They even shook hands. Then Nora went upstairs to wake up Julie for breakfast.

* * *

**Virtual lollipop to anyone who catches the spoon reference!**

**Final chapter coming up next. I bet you've already figured it out.**


	11. Chapter 11: Good Day for Questions

I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

Human

* * *

Chapter 11: Good Day for Questions

It was an epic day. R and Julie sat together on a grey concrete bridge high above the living world they had helped exhume. Wild greenery surrounded them. The wall and the city contained within lay out before them. The melting, yellow sun hung low in the clear, blue sky. It would be dark in a few hours. For now, they had all the time in the world.

R was dressed in freshly laundered clothing, jeans and a blue and yellow checked button up long-sleeved shirt. His dark hair was neatly brushed and his handsome face shaven. Julie was garbed in a most unusual fashion for her. She wore a soft, cream colored dress that fell to her knees, sandals on her exposed feet, and a feminine, denim jacket. Her bare legs were demurely crossed at the ankles. Unfettered thick blond hair lay draped over her delicate shoulders.

R sat comfortably, his broad back slightly bent, long legs dangling into empty space, feet waving a little. Julie snuggled into him with her right arm nestled inside his left. He held her small hands in his larger ones, casually playing with her delicate fingers.

They looked peaceful, happy. And they were. Quietly awaiting the impending historic moment. R wasn't really very nervous about what was to come. He had actually been anticipating it for quite some time now. It had always been somewhere in his mind as a hopeful possibility. Today, it would become his human reality.

"R?" Julie asked, suddenly breaking his reverie. He didn't mind.

"Yeah?" He quietly responded, considering her lovely face.

"Do you remember your name yet?" she asked inquisitively.

R shook his head at little and looked down at their intertwined fingers, "No."

"Well, you know, you could just give yourself one." Julie suggested, with a smile in her bright blue eyes. R remained quiet and still.

"Just pick one," she encouraged kindly. "Whatever you want."

He contemplated this for a second, then shrugged, and answered confidently. "I like R."

She seemed a tad bit doubtful. "Really?" He nodded, smiling at her.

"You don't want to know what it was?" she gently probed. "You don't want your old life back?"

He shook his head. "No," he responded honestly.

"I want this one," he concluded, gazing steadily at her.

She smiled shyly at him and ducked her head down for moment, tenderly brushing her lips to his shoulder before laying her head down warmly against him.

"Just R, huh?" She smiled the words into the world.

R sat, letting the sound and meaning of those words wash over him. He nodded slightly, gratified with that single, simple thought. _It's enough_. _Just to be me. Human me. Just R._

"Just R," he affirmed, a pleased smile appearing on his face.

They sat together, up on high, and watched as the explosives, her father, Colonel John Grigio had ordered planted, detonated all along the wall. The forbidding structure came crashing mightily down. The metal barriers that had held so long against the dead world were finally destroyed. The dead world had been exhumed. The possibilities now were endless.

As they sat there, quiet, R knew the time had come. It was the perfect moment. He stayed in it a heartbeat longer, holding Julie's fingers safely in his, gathering his courage. Then slowly and decisively, he let go of her hand and reached into his right pocket. His fingers found what they were seeking and drew it out carefully.

It was a small silver ring. Two hands cradling a crowned heart. A claddagh, an Irish wedding ring. He looked at it for what seemed like the hundredth time since Nora had triumphantly found it and brought it to him in preparation for this day. It was so small, yet it represented so much. Lasting friendship, sincere loyalty, and true love. He held it in his hand, finding the voice to speak his next words.

_Ooooh, look at how high up we are!_ the idiot stepped forth. _Hey, if she says no, you can always just fling yourself over the edge and end it all! Man, that is some good planning! Alright!_

With barely a glance, R mentally reached out, snatched the idiot up, and unceremoniously tossed him over the edge of the precipice. Then he refocused himself. Clearing his throat quietly, he took a deep breath and spoke the words.

"Julie, will you marry me?"

She looked at him, down at the ring, and back up at him. She gasped, realization dawning on her radiant, stunned face. "Oh, R! Yes!" she breathed, all her oxygen gone.

She held up her trembling left hand. He deftly slipped the ring on and kissed it tenderly. Then he kissed her, full of love and passion and life. His right hand protectively cupped her precious head, cradling it closer to his. Grateful that she had accepted him. Happy to be human and alive.

_Thank you for all this, _he spoke silently to Whoever was listening. _I am grateful for it all, every single day._

When the kiss ended, Julie caught her air and began to laugh. R watched her expectantly. He'd figure it out. Or she'd tell him. He'd wait. She caught her breath again and squeezed his arm affectionately.

"So _that's_ why Nora made me wear this dress! And Dad hugged me so tight and gave you that weird look!" She laughed again and her eyes danced. "That must've killed Nora not to tell me! And Dad! You actually talked to him about it first?"

R nodded, remembering the very important pre-breakfast conversation some days before.

"Well, that took guts!" she gazed at him, wide-eyed.

R nodded seriously. "He was holding a spoon, too."

Julie's eyebrows quirked, perplexed. R smirked, affectionately pecked her on the nose, and told her all about it.

When he was done, she hugged him so tightly they both could have fallen over the edge. But they didn't.

"Oh, R! I can't believe you did that!"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I've come back from being dead. So, everything else, really, is pretty much cake."

She laughed again and he joined her, chuckling. They kissed. They hugged. They snuggled. They laughed. They made plans.

It was a good day for questions.

* * *

**I've enjoyed creating this more than I can say. Thank you so much for reading. And remember, just keep throwing your idiot off that cliff! =)**

**Maybe there'll be another story. R and Julie: The Simple Life. Would you read it?**


End file.
